How to Install a Cat Door in a Hollow Core Door

by Alexis Rohlin

Cat doors give cats more autonomy.

Cat doors can be installed on exterior doors to allow a cat to go in and out of the house as it pleases. If you have a large dog that you wish to keep out of your cat's food, a cat door can provide access for your cat while preventing other animals from entering the room. Hollow core doors are commonly used as bedroom and bathroom doors in homes. Adding a cat door to a hollow core door requires a little more preparation and work than other types of doors, as a wooden support frame will need to be installed on the interior of the door.

1

Remove the hollow core door from its hinges.

2

Measure the height of your cat's belly, from the ground to its stomach with a measuring tape. This is how high up the cat door needs to be from the bottom of the hollow core door.

3

Transfer the measurement from Step 2 to the door with a pencil.

4

Measure the door to find the center point. Make a mark 12 inches up from the floor at the center point on the interior and exterior sides of the door.

5

Cut out the cat door template or make one by transferring its dimensions to a large piece of paper and cutting it out.

6

Center the cat door template on the door, with the bottom of the template lined up with the 12 inch center point mark you drew. Trace around the template with a pencil. Make the marks as even and level as possible as you do so.

7

Trace around the cat door template on the other side of the door.

8

Mark the location for the lock's screw holes, if the door comes with a lock, 7/16 inch away from the right bottom corner. Draw another mark 2 1/4 inch up from the bottom corner (or according to your pet door instructions, if it has different dimensions listed).

9

Drill a 1-inch hole on each corner on the door pattern to make jigsaw access points.

10

Insert the jigsaw into the first hole and slowly cut along the traced line of the door pattern. Cut out the door pattern on the other side of the door in the same manner.

11

Measure the interior dimensions of the cat door hole; this includes the width, height and length of each side of hollow the opening. These dimensions are going to be used to create a wooden support frame that fits inside of the cat door opening on the hollow core door.

12

Cut four pieces of wood from the 1-by-2 inch wood plank. Cut one piece per each side of the opening according to the dimensions from Step 11.

13

Apply wood glue to the sides of each piece of cut wood and insert them into the hollow wooden door, with the top surface of the wood pieces lined up with the cut edge of the cat door opening.

14

Attach C-clamps onto the opening of the door, with each clamp holding a section of the hollow door onto a wood piece. Wait 12 hours for the wood glue to dry before removing the C-clamps.

15

Insert the interior side of the cat door into the opening on the door. Loosely attach the interior side of the cat door frame to the hollow wooden door by driving the center screw of each side into the door.

16

Insert the exterior frame (if not already installed on the cat door) into the hole in the door. Push the exterior frame into the door until the flanges of each side of the cat door frame meet on the inside of the hollow door.

17

Attach the exterior frame of the cat door with screws.

18

Attach the cat door lock, if any, to the door with screws.

19

Hand tighten all of the screws on the cat door to secure it to the hollow core door.

Things You Will Need

Measuring tape

Pencil

Paper

Ruler

Scissors

Drill with 1 inch bit

Jigsaw

1-by-2 wood plank

Wood glue

4 C-clamps

Phillips screwdriver

Tips

Placing the hollow core door on two saw horse frames will make it easier to cut out the cat door opening.

You can purchase cat doors that are self-framing, which eliminates the need to glue a wooden frame support onto the interior of the hollow core door.

Some home improvement stores will cut wood to size for you while you wait.

Be patient when teaching your cat how to use the cat door. Cats take a while to become accustomed to new things in their environment and may not seem interested in using the door.

Warnings

Do not attempt to install a cat door in a hollow core door without installing a wooden frame in the interior of the door.

About the Author

Alexis Rohlin is a professional writer for various websites. She has produced works for Red Anvil Publishing and was one of the top 10 finalists in the 2007 Midnight Hour Short Story Contest for OnceWritten.com. Rohlin holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in English from Madonna University.

Photo Credits

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